Im one of the many SEOs that recently joined Facebook. My article examines why Facebook isnt a "waste of time" but an essential social and business networking tool that will only get more important and more prominent as time goes by.18 Comments

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Good post. I find the herd mentality very frustrating. I think Facebook works well while it has fuel. Well have to see if it has the stamina to keep going once the rush to sign up and play with it for the first time dies down.

For years I have used Myspace for my personal life and I still quite enjoy it. Recently I signed up on Facebook because of the SEO community on there but I have to admit I cant stand Facebook. The layout is too hard on the eyes and with all the little gadgets people have makes it mighty annoying.
If LinkedIn had a customizable public profile and some features ripped from myspace and facebook then Id prefer that for my professional network.

I have to throw in here, Im young (24) and joined Facebook well before the herd. Unfortunately, I put most of my attention into MySpace because I couldnt personalize the Facebook profile enough for my liking. Then along came News Feed and everyone got pissy about the big brother qualities, but grew to love it! Even better, Facebook apps opened and all of a sudden Facebook was flooded with cool features that bring users closer together than MySpace ever could have imagined. This is about the time that the SEOs started flocking.
I liked your article, but felt there needed to be a bit more background supplied. The SEOs showed up for a reason... Facebook just took the social network lead and crippled MySpace as far as personalization and usability. Of course SEOs should take notice and join. Beyond the networking opportunities there are business opportunities with targeted news feed ads, customized facebook apps (Splashcast) and groups. Whether youre working for a corporation, non-profit or 2008 candidate Facebook presents a massive opportunity.
As for Linked In, I see it and Facebook as similar in terms of the questions and messages, but youre right, Linked In is more of a resume and should remain as such. I use it purely for professional reasons while Facebook is where I buy Michael Gray imaginary drinks and let everyone know Im a proud Ravenclaw.
=)

Facebook is a lot more useful than it was when I joined in 2004. Back then, it was open only to colleges in the U.S. and Canada. Soon after I joined, the UK, Europe and various other countries had their universities accepted into the mix.
However, it is strange to have my elementary school friends, high school friends, college friends, and now colleagues connecting with me in the same place. I have known some of my Facebook friends since I was five years old. Others Ive known since April of 2007.
Until recently, Id left my profile public, meaning that anyone in my college or regional network could access it. I changed my privacy settings this weekend because I realized that I know only a few people who DONT have a Facebook account. I even found myself persuading my dad to join so that I didnt have to email him photographs anymore! Ive had people whom I dont know write to me through the service whove taken my comments and affiliations on the site out of context. While Im glad I can connect with lots of people on Facebook, its a different animal to the one Id surreptitiously use during POLISCI 201 when I was a sophomore.

Thanks for the comments. Rhea...you are absolutely right about lack of background...Ive only been on Facebook about a month and my perspective is somewhat limited. Im still learning my way around and somebody who has ridden the Facebook train longer than I have can offer a perspective that I cant. Maybe thats you?

ha, definitely not me. I have time to bark at others posts but none to write my own. :)
I think your article was spot on though and others have provided a nice background for those interested (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook), but it was Andrews comment about herd mentality that felt a little harsh. Its undeniable that when high profiles discuss the network theyre exposing the greater SEO community to it. But, I think its the evolution of Facebook that caused the recent influx of SEOs more than the herd blindly following.
Im sure theres some correlation with Tamar, Lisa, Jane and Matt "walling" at SMX Advanced though. :)

Ok, final comment... I just ran across another interesting article on the Facebook topic on Frank Schillings blog, July 21st: http://frankschilling.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/07/facebook-schmac.html
I really liked the comparison of Facebook to a forum. As far as traditional advertising is concerned I think the results will always be dismal given the audience. That doesnt mean there arent opportunities though, you just have to get more creative than traditional media buys. =)

Im the other way around the most of you - signed up early in its online life and havent really used it much since graduating college. For what its worth, it was a fairly bare-bones social media site before they made a complete overhaul...

As someone who has used the site consistently over the past three years, Id say they didnt go through so much of a complete overhaul as a gradual shift. While the site is completely different to the one we used three years ago, its changes have happened over time. Im quite certain that I like it better than I did way-back-when. Give it another shot :)

I would say Facebook advertising works well with the right offering. Soon the spammers will come and degrade its value, but till then theres value there and a good method to create viral campaigns. Marketing to a group of friends is a waste of time....find where the masses are and feed them without them even knowing your advertising to them.

I havent used Facebook exclusively in connection with the SEO Community though I joined a lot of SEO groups and have failed to be active. I sent out a few friend requests in the SEO community and had some back so its nice to be recognised online... lets see if "Friendships" on facebook can help you get recognised (or at least acknowledged as to who you are)from some of the Big(ger) Guns at SEO conferences and shows.....